The Organization has 54 field offices around the world. Its headquarters are located in Paris, France.

Its mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

The Organization focuses, in particular, on two global priorities, Africa and Gender equality, and supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, through all its programmes.

UNESCO partners with Think City to digitize Heritage Award winners, promote best conservation practices in Asia-Pacific

UNESCO Bangkok and community-based urban regeneration body Think City have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting outstanding practices in cultural heritage preservation in Asia and the Pacific.

Under the newly signed MOU, Think City will support the digitization of the nomination dossiers of all winners of the Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation from 2000-2010, which will then be made available online.

The Penang, Malaysia-based Think City will also archive the dossiers of all Heritage Award winners from 2000-2015 and make them accessible to the public.

The agreement ensures that the best practices exemplified in these dossiers will be publicly accessible, strengthening the Heritage Awards programme and advancing its goal of improving conservation practices in the region.

As Ms Maki Hayashikawa, Director of UNESCO Bangkok AI, noted, the MOU would “improve the quality of built heritage conservation in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as raise awareness for the Awards itself, which mark their 18th cycle this year.”

“I also hope the partnership will benefit Think City, as a regional center for community based cultural heritage conservation.”

The MOU builds on longstanding cooperation between UNESCO and Think City, which in the past has spearheaded several successful initiatives aimed at conservation-focused urban regeneration projects.

Think City seeks to create more sustainable and livable cities by working closely with governments, local and international agencies, and communities, building effective partnerships and enhancing capacity along the way.